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This case study evaluated the effects of a health package (HP) of a light intensity individualised exercise program and advice on anxiety management and nutrition, on the physical and mental health of people with or without COVID-19, who were quarantined in hotels used as Special Health Accommodation and admitted to the Royal Prince Alfred Virtual Hospital, Sydney during the COVID-19 pandemic. After initial screening and consenting, participants completed three surveys: Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale; Brief Fatigue Inventory; and the European Quality of Life 5-Dimensions 5-Levels, and were provided with the HP for the duration of their quarantine. The three surveys and a participant reported experience measure were completed prior to discharge. The HP for people in quarantine demonstrated stability of health outcomes and reduction in fatigue. Most participants reported that the HP helped them cope with isolation. Provision of a HP during quarantine could be useful to support physical and mental health. What is known about the topic? Quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic could negatively impact physical and mental health. What does this paper add? A health package of light intensity exercise, advice on anxiety management and nutritional information demonstrated maintenance of physical and mental health and reduced fatigue in people with and without mild COVID-19 in hotel quarantine. What are the implications for practitioners? Practitioners should consider providing a health package of exercise, anxiety management and nutritional information to help people in quarantine to cope with the physical and mental isolation. Adequate staffing is required to enable implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the level of foreign language anxiety in the classroom, plus the correlation between foreign language anxiety and cooperative learning attitudes and practice among university students at one university in the United States and three universities in Southern Taiwan. Two instruments (The Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety scale by Horwitz et al., 1986 and the Style Analysis Survey by Oxford et al., 1999a) were employed along with ten questions designed by the author: five sought to establish student perceptions of their classrooms' cooperative atmosphere and five concerned students' predilection towards cooperative learning. No significant correlation was found between foreign language anxiety and cooperative learning at the United States University. Of the three Southern Taiwan colleges, results from only one school showed a significant correlation. This was the only school that had a Taiwanese teacher. Appended to this document is a Survey Instrument. (Contains 2 tables.)

This study is aimed at verifying the causal relationship of chronic circadian desynchronization and changes in body weight control. Eight male albino F344 rats aged between 12-15 wk were subjected to twice weekly 12-h shifts of the daily light-dark (LD) cycle for 13 wk (3 too). Continuous circadian phase shifts consisting of intermittent phase delay and advance and reduced circadian amplitudes were consistently displayed in all five experimental rats implanted intraperitoneally with heart rate, body temperature, and activity transponders. The experimental rat maintained a greater body weight during LD shifts and even after 10 days of recovery than that of the age-matched control rat, which was maintained on a regular LD cycle. Body weight gain was greater in the first 2 mo of LD shifts in the experimental rat than in the control rat. Relative to the baseline, food intake and activity percentages were increased and reduced, respectively, for the experimental rats. Features of these results, such as increased body weight gain and food intake, and reduced activity, suggest a causal relationship of chronic circadian desynchronization and changes in body weight control in male albino F344 rats. shift work; circadian rhythm; reentrainment; energy regulation

In this study we evaluated the effect of a two-credit (100 min./week) 'Sleep Management' course on the sleep patterns of college students as the course progressed over an 18-wk. semester. Curricular activity included lectures, group discussions, and practice of self-evaluation of sleep. Instead of giving the students the whole list of sleep hygiene at the outset of the course, each concept of sleep hygiene was introduced and discussed under related lecture topics. A total of 241 students (131 men and 110 women) took the course and kept 7-day sleep logs three times. Concurrently, sleep-log data were collected from 65 students (32 men and 33 women) who were not taking the course. Both groups showed similar varieties of academic backgrounds and characteristics of sleep patterns at the beginning. Similarly, their sleep patterns, namely, rise time, nighttime awakenings, time asleep, time in bed, sleep efficiency, and rise time regularity, changed over the semester. Women in both groups had more nighttime awakenings. In contrast, sleep quality was progressively better for the group in the course but not for the control group. Only women in the course decreased their nap time in the second and third months. Thus, the course of 'Sleep Management' only had a mild and limited effect on sleep patterns. The course content needs refinement to maximize influence on students' sleep patterns and habits, particularly, on reduction of insufficient sleep and daytime sleepiness which are the highest ranking sleep problems among college students.

ABSTRACT Background and objective Telerehabilitation has the potential to increase access to pulmonary rehabilitation ( PR) for patients with COPD who have difficulty accessing centre-based PR due to poor mobility, lack of transport and cost of travel. We aimed to determine the effect of supervised, home-based, real-time videoconferencing telerehabilitation on exercise capacity, self-efficacy, health-related quality of life ( HRQoL) and physical activity in patients with COPD compared with usual care without exercise training. Methods Patients with COPD were randomized to either a supervised home-based telerehabilitation group ( TG) that received exercise training three times a week for 8 weeks or a control group ( CG) that received usual care without exercise training. Outcomes were measured at baseline and following the intervention. Results Thirty-six out of 37 participants (mean ± SD age = 74 ± 8 years, forced expiratory volume in 1 s ( FEV1 ) = 64 ± 21% predicted) completed the study. Compared with the CG, the TG showed a statistically significant increase in endurance shuttle walk test time (mean difference = 340 s (95% CI: 153-526, P < 0.001)), an increase in self-efficacy (mean difference = 8 points (95% CI: 2-14, P < 0.007)), a trend towards a statistically significant increase in the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire total score (mean difference = 8 points (95% CI: −1 to 16, P = 0.07)) and no difference in physical activity (mean difference = 475 steps per day (95% CI: −200 to 1151, P = 0.16)). Conclusion This study showed that telerehabilitation improved endurance exercise capacity and self-efficacy in patients with COPD when compared with usual care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to determine the physical activity level of people admitted to hospital with an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) and whether physical activity changed immediately after discharge and 6 weeks post hospital admission. In this prospective observational study, people admitted to hospital with an AECOPD had physical activity levels monitored using the SenseWear® Armband (model MF-SW) for 3 days in hospital (T1), during the first week at home following discharge (T2), and at home during the sixth week after admission (T3). Fifty participants (mean age (SD) 71 (10) years) completed the study. There was a linear increase in average steps per day over the three time periods (T1, mean (SD) 1385 (1972) steps/day; T2, 2040 (2680); T3, 2328 (2745); analysis of variance (ANOVA) p = 0.001) and time spent in moderate activity (3.0–6.0 metabolic equivalents; minutes/day) (T1, mean (SD) 16 (27) minutes/day; T2, 32 (46) minutes/day; T3, 35 (58) minutes/day; ANOVA p = 0.008). For both outcomes, post hoc t-tests showed significant improvements from T1 to T2 and from T1 to T3, but not between T2 and T3. Physical activity was low in hospital and significantly improved in the week after discharge but showed no further significant improvement at 6 weeks following a hospitalized AECOPD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light-to-dark transitions have been found to enhance paradoxical sleep (PS) in albino rats but not pigmented rats. Furthermore, PS inducing effect of dark pulses in albino rats depends on sleep states. This study examined whether the relationship between PS and preceding non-rapid-eye-movement sleep (NREMS) in pigmented Brown Norway rats was different from that in albino F344 rats and whether such a difference was associated with different responses to dark pulses in the two rat strains. Both rat strains showed a positive relationship between PS and preceding NREMS. However, only the albino F344 rats exhibited the PS inducing effect of dark pulses. Dark pulses did not alter the relationship between PS and preceding NREMS in either rat strain, and, reciprocally, nor did duration of preceding NREMS affect dark pulse-induced PS enhancement. Furthermore, this study verified that dark pulses given during NREMS in albino F344 rats specifically induced the suppression of NREMS concomitant with the enhancement of PS. This study proposed that dark pulses might inhibit NREMS and facilitate PS regulating areas concurrently in albino rats.